The Black Parade
by Dr. Rex Greylin
Summary: Something's not right with our favorite cheerleading heroine. Gemini's latest scheme has dire consequences for Kim, but what's really going on?
1. Chapter 1: The River

**Disclaimer: **"Kim Possible" and all associated characters and events are (c) Disney Corp. and are used without permission. No profit is sought for this work. (Ya know, the usual schtick. *grins*)

**Chapter 1: The River**

"Ahhh," the blond man sighed as he adjusted his sunglasses while lounging on the beach towel. "This is the life, ain't it, KP?"

The redhead beside him simply smiled contentedly in response. She was sprawled on the sand, soaking up the sun as well. "I can't believe you managed to get us a hotel in Fiji for Spring Break this year, Ron."

"It wasn't that hard, Kim," he smiled. "All I had to do was drop your name and say what it was for and they booked us right away."

"Well, whatever you did, its great." Kim leaned over and placed a loving kiss on the man's lips. "This is the greatest vacation I've had. Thanks a bunch."

"No big," Ron shrugged. "Hey, could you grab me some sunscreen? It should be in the bag."

"Sure," Kim chirped as she went to dig out the bottle. The sunblock was forgotten when her eyes fell on a small, velvet box. Curious, she reached in and pulled it out. Her olive eyes went wide as she opened it and saw what was inside.

"R-Ron?" she stammered. "W-what's this?"

Ron had been watching his girlfriend out of the corner of his eye the whole time and now was trying to hide a face splitting grin. "Oh, that," he said, trying to be nonchalant. "I dunno. Lemme see." He peeled off his shades and rolled up to kneel – on one knee – as he took the box from her hands. Kim's brain shut down in shock as he locked eyes with her and opened his mouth.

"Kim," he started, slightly nervous. "We've been together for almost eighteen years and in that time, we've always been there for each other. Through everything, good and bad, we've been always by each other's sides. Would you do me the honor of allowing me to be by your side forever? I guess, what I'm trying to say is..." He fidgeted and drew a breath.

"Kimberly Anne Possible; will you marry me?"

As he raised the ring with his last statement, Kim mutely nodded, tears of joy streaming down her face. Their hands were shaking as Ron reached up to place the three karat pink diamond on her finger. Slowly she raised her hand to stare at the gorgeous ring on her finger and the shock melted away. Unbridled joy washed over her face as she dove into her now fiancé's arms and planted a passionate kiss on him.

"Oh thank you, Ron," she gushed. "This is the happiest day of my life!"

-KP-KP-

"…And that's how it happened," Kim smiled. It was a few weeks later in a Bueno Nacho in Middleton, Colorado. The redheaded hero was relaxing with her friends while waiting for her new fiancé to show up after his classes at Middleton Community College.

"Who knew Ron could be so romantic," Monique said, eyes distant while picturing her own boyfriend doing the same thing she had just heard her best friend describe. The mocha skinned woman turned to the third woman sitting with them and said, "So when do you think your SO will propose to you, Hope?"

Kim smiled at the brunette that Monique looked towards. "And when are we going to meet this mysterious 'Significant Other' you keep saying you have?"

Hope smiled back. "When we're ready, I'll let you know who they are," the former high school cheerleader replied. "And I doubt we'll be even thinking about marriage anytime soon. We don't think it's really in our future."

"We don't even know if your SO is a 'he' or a 'she,'" Monique sighed dejectedly.

"Well, my vote's on a 'he,'" Kim put in. "I mean, she _did_ date the soccer captain in high school."

"True," the dark-haired fashonista put in. "But what about Jessica? I mean, she dated Steve Foley Junior year but when she got to U-Mass she ended up marrying Becky."

Hope's smile widened. "I'll tell you what," the tanned woman said with a twinkle in her eye. "_If_ Kim can beat me in a game of chess, I'll spill it all._ Da?_"

Kim groaned as she put her head on the table. "Dang it, Hope. You know I can't beat you at chess. And we've played each other every day since we started college two years ago."

"Not even Wade has beaten you, and he's a Grandmaster," Monique sighed.

Just then, a familiar four note tone emanated from Kim's wrist. "Speak of the devil," Hope grinned.

Kim smirked at her friend for a second before answering. "Go, Wade."

"Hey, Kim," the chubby fifteen year old grinned. "Congratulations, by the way."

Kim blushed slightly. "Thanks. And you look like you've lost more weight. That diet your mom got you on must be working out for you."

"Yup. I lost another twenty-five pounds in the last month. It's going great," the young computer genius said. Then his face went serious. "But this isn't really a social call."

"What's the sitch?" Kim's face immediately went into "mission mode" hearing what Wade said.

He sighed as he began. "We got a call from the director of the CDC. Apparently there's been a break in at their labs in Atlanta."

Kim was confused. "Why are they calling us?" she asked. "Isn't this something for the FBI?"

"Normally, yes." He tapped a few keys on his keyboard and a video popped up on the small screen as he continued. "They called you because of this."

The video showed several individuals wearing what are commonly called "moonsuits" – fully sealed hazardous materials gear – walking up to the door to a lab, placing something against the door and then running away before a large explosion demolished the wall the door was in.

"So these guys know what to do to break into a biohazard facility," the redhead said. "So what?"

"Look closer, Kim." Wade tapped a few more commands in and the video replayed. He froze it for a second and zoomed in on the shoulder of one of the individuals showing a design that Kim recognized. The shoulder flash of the Worldwide Evil Empire.

"WEE," she said, eyes narrowing. "What's Gemini up to this time?"

The image returned to the hacker. "I don't know, Kim," he replied. Kim could tell there was worry in her young friend's voice. "But it can't be good. You know his schemes have been getting scarier since his dog died last year."

She shuddered for a moment as Monique asked Wade, "Why would he break into the CDC labs? Is he trying to get the flu or something?"

"Mo, that was the level four bio-labs." The boy's concern was becoming apparent. "That's where they keep the _really_ scary stuff. H5N1, Hantavirus, Ebola. The stuff that there's no cure for and will kill you fast and nasty if you catch it."

Hope looked to Kim. "Wait a minute," she said, her eyes wide. "Didn't you say that some medical stuff was stolen recently?"

"Yeah," the hero stated. "It was some biomed facility that had some equipment disappear." She turned back to her Kimmunicator and the boy on the screen. "What was that stuff used for anyway Wade?"

"And in English, please," Monique put in. "We don't all speak 'geek' here."

"I think it was some stuff to grow germ cultures," the young genius replied. Then his face fell. "Oh, shit." His hands flew over his computer console.

"Wade?" Kim's voice held more worry than usual. Her friend never swore, no matter how bad things seemed. "What's up?"

He was concentrating on his monitor, half-listening. "I'm contacting Rocky Mountain Arsenal. If I'm right, they're about to get a visit from WEE."

"If you're right about what?"

Monique was visibly shaking. "OMFG," she remarked, fear showing in her eyes. "Kim, do you know what they do at RMA?"

The redhead looked up at her. Before Kim could open her mouth, Monique jumped in. "RMA is one of the largest storage and disposal sites for NBC WMD's in the US." Terror appeared on the woman's face. "Oh no. Dad."

Hope looked confused. "Umm, Mo," she started. "Not everyone here knows the alphabet soup you call 'Monique-speak.'"

Wade was the one to translate. "'Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Weapons of Mass Destruction.'"

Kim's face paled at the news. The three women flew from their seats and out the door. "Patch me through to GJ and the DoD," the hero told the man on the other side of the screen. "And get Ron on standby. Please and thank you."

"One step ahead of you, Kim. I'm routing the call to the Sloth as we speak."

"Let's hope that Wade's wrong," Hope said, her dark hair flying behind her.

As Kim jumped into her car she asked, "When was the last time that happened?"

"Oh, shit."

-KP-KP-

_A/N:_

_ A little background on the chapter titles: Those that have read my fan fics (and a good portion of my original works) know that music inspires me quite a bit. Well, I thought I'd try something a little different with this story. With The Black Parade I decided to write a story and let the story choose the song __that set the feel and tone_ for each chapter – sort of a "reverse songfic." (FYI, every song I mention is in my collection. Some I had to go out and get just so I could make that claim.)

_This chapter chose "The River" by Garth Brooks. The hopeful, and yet melancholy, tone of the song spoke volumes and practically begged to be the overture to the first act._

_ I'd also like to give a shout out to my wonderful beta, Seriadne, without whom this would've sucked significantly more. Thanks boatloads, Seri!_


	2. Chapter 2: Good Riddance

**Chapter 2: Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)**

"We're too late, KP."

The two heroes were looking over at a scene that could have been easily mistaken for a war zone. There were bodies strewn all over, buildings damaged and destroyed. Vehicles smoking and burning.

Kim turned to her partner and fiancé. "We need to get in there and see if there's anyone that survived, Ron."

As she went to take a step across the fence line where the gate once stood, she got stopped by a voice from her wrist. "Don't go in there!" Wade shouted through the communications link. "I'm picking up VX and Phosgene still lingering. Plus who knows what bioweapons were released."

"But there might be survivors," Kim protested. "I can save then."

Over the video link, Wade shook his head sadly. "Kim, if you go in there without a suit, you won't be coming out again." He sighed as he continued. "And, besides: _if_ there's anyone still alive in there, they won't be for long. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry, Kim," Ron said comfortingly as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "We'll get him. He'll pay for this."

-KP-KP-

Kim reached for the door to her dorm room when it flew open. The short-haired brunette on the other side glared at her and walked past. "Hello to you too, Mercy," Kim muttered as she entered and saw her roommate sitting on her bed. The redhead dropped her books on her desk and plopped face down on the other bed.

"Long day at class?" Kim's roommate asked looking over the top of the book she was reading. The mass of fire-red hair simply grunted into her pillows and Hope laughed. "Well that's what you get for trying to stuff that many credits into your day."

Kim rolled to her back and responded. "True, but it _does_ put me a year ahead of you," she grinned. "Hmm… maybe I'll just take next year off to veg."

"That doesn't sound right," other woman said as she narrowed her eyes at her roommate. "Who are you and what have you done with Kim Possible?"

"Hey, even the woman that can do anything is entitled to do nothing on occasion."

The tanned woman didn't buy it. "Sure you will, Miss In-Every-Club-Head-Cheerleader-Save-The-World-And-Be-Home-By-Dinner-All-With-A-Four-Point-Oh-GPA," she smirked. "I swear, you make Type A people look like slackers." Kim simply stuck out her tongue at the brown-eyed woman giggling on the other bed.

"And what's with your sister anyway?" the redhead asked as she sat up and turned toward the other bed. "We've known each other for like twelve years and she's only ever given me some kind of dirty look."

Hope shrugged. "That's just Mercy for you. Some people she just never takes to." She returned her attention to the book she was reading. "You know, if you managed to sit her down and talk, you might actually grow on her."

"Easier said than done," Kim huffed as she flopped back on her bed to stare up at the ceiling. "We're never in the same room for more than a few seconds. Every time we pass each other she gives me this dirty look. Its almost creepy."

"You want to talk about 'creepy?'" Hope grinned wryly back at her roommate. "How about you keep your twit brother from hitting on me. Its hard to hear a flirty comment and not get nauseous when you remember changing the diapers of the guy that gives it."

"I'll remember to pound him next I see him," Kim snickered. "So which Tweeb is it anyway, Jim or Tim?"

"Is there a difference?"

As the two college women burst out in giggles, the fair-skinned woman had to concede the point. Her twin brothers sometimes acted as though they shared a brain.

Four notes suddenly drew Kim's jade eyes to her wrist. "Go, Wade."

The dark-skinned boy on the other end of the call grinned. "We got him."

-KP-KP-

An hour later, Kim was crawling through duct work with Ron behind her. "It's about time we caught a break," she remarked. "I was getting worried after not hearing anything for three weeks."

"Yeah, its been scary quiet, KP," the blond man agreed. "There hasn't been a peep from even Drakken since the break-in at Rocky Mountain."

"Well, he _did_ help save the world from the Lorwardians," Kim stated. "Not exactly conductive to a career in villainy."

Suddenly, she squeaked slightly and turned back to glare over her shoulder. "Ron! Did you just pinch my butt?"

He grinned. "What? Am I not allowed to grope my gorgeous fiancée?"

"We're working here," the redhead replied. Then she blew him a kiss as she raised a seductive eyebrow. "Later, however…" She trailed off, the unspoken offer hanging.

"Booyah."

The naked mole rat in the man's pocket looked between them and simply gagged at the display in front of him. "Gah!"

"Don't worry, Rufus old buddy," Ron smiled at his other lifelong companion. "When you find the right lady mole rat, you'll get it." Rufus simply crossed his arms and muttered something that might have been understood as "Whatever."

"Back to the matter at hands guys." Kim raised her arm and opened the communications link to the man that oversaw their missions. "We're here, Wade. Any news?"

The young man's fingers flew over the keyboard he had in front of him for a moment and then spoke. "You should be right over his command center," he said. "But I'm still getting that strange EM signal around you and it's getting stronger. You're probably near the source."

"Is GJ closing in on the bombs?"

"They should be to them before they release their biotoxins," the young genius replied. "Of course, that's assuming you can stop Gemini from pushing the button."

"Will Du!" Ron blurted.

Kim smiled. "Yeah, what he said." Then she realized he wasn't focused on their conversation. As she looked to where his eyes were her face fell. There was Global Justice's head agent being brought into the command center, bound and beaten. "Crud. Wade, tell GJ to put a rush on whatever they're doing. Their mole's been discovered."

"On it. Contact me when you're on your way out," Wade told them before he cut the link.

The redhead pulled out her "laser lipstick" and began to cut open the grate as Ron listened in on the conversation below them. Something strange caught his attention. "Umm, Kim?" he asked, concern in his voice. "Since when do our bad guys carry guns?" The redhead muttered something under her breath and began cutting faster.

Down below, Gemini didn't turn around as the undercover agent was dragged in and thrown to the floor. "Were you able to get any more information from him, Beta?"

"No, sir," a man in the uniform of WEE with a large Greek letter on it replied. "We've tried everything on him and nothing worked. Apparently he knows nothing more."

"Then he is of no more use to us," the tall, one-eyed man simply said as he finally turned around to look at the standing operative. "Contact Virgo and then eliminate him."

"Umm, sir," The WEE agent started. "Are you sure of this? I mean, won't this escalate things between us and Global Justice?"

"I DO NOT GIVE A _DAMN_ ABOUT GLOBAL JUSTICE!" Gemini roared, madness flaring in his eye. He paused, closed his eye and took a deep breath. "However," he began, calm settling on his features. "If that is how you feel…"

The man relaxed at the change in his employer's mood. Unfortunately he had no time to react as the one-eyed man's hand flew to the pistol at his waist, drew and fired, splashing the violet-suited henchman's brains over the computer console behind him.

With the emotional response of one that just stepped on an insect, he turned the weapon on the bound GJ agent in front of him and smiled. "It's so hard to find good help these days, isn't it?"

The loud "bang" of the gunshot echoed up to the two in the ventilation shaft, the horrified looks on their faces a testimony to their feelings on the events transpiring below them.

"K-K-KP?" Ron stuttered. "Did that really just happen?"

Mutely, Kim nodded, bile threatening to rise. Forcing back her initial response, she turned to her blond companion. "We need to get down there and stop him right now." With that, she kicked open the grate from the vent and jumped.

"You've gone too far this time, Gemini," she announced as she and Ron landed, both crouched in fighting stances.

Gemini turned and looked at them. "Kim Possible," he said pleasantly. "What a pleasant surprise. Shame you won't be able to stop me this time."

Kim's eyes went wide for a split second as the villain raised his gun. She dove for cover behind some nearby crates just in time for the round he fired to pass right through the place her head had just been. More gunshots ricocheted near them, quite effectively pinning them down.

"Kim," Ron yelled over the din of the gunfire. "We need to split up. I'll draw his fire; you try to take him down." He turned and ran, keeping low and shouting to Gemini.

"RON!" Kim shouted, fear in her voice. As she heard the shots ring out further and further from her, she muttered, "Please don't get yourself killed." Sprinting the opposite direction from Ron, she leapt from place to place all the while keeping a watch on the madman in front of her and her fiancé and partner who was risking his life to give her an opening. With agonizing slowness, she maneuvered within striking range. Leaping from the protection of cover, her foot lashed out catching the madman by surprise and knocking the gun from his hand.

"Surrender now and I'll try to get you in a nice prison," she growled.

The balding man simply smiled wickedly and raised his cybernetic arm pointing his finger at the young hero. She had a moment to realize what he was doing before diving out of the way of the small rocket that launched from the fingertip.

"Ron!" Kim yelled as she flipped and twisted to avoid the rockets exploding around her. "A little help here!"

Suddenly, Gemini flew to the floor with Ron standing on his back. "On it, KP," the blond man smiled.

Kim noticed the prone man reaching for his arm and quickly slapped a pair of handcuffs on him. Grabbing the bound man by the front of his shirt, she sent a powerful punch to the man's mouth. "I hope they stick you in a very deep, dark hole this time, Gemini," she spat as Ron contacted Global Justice for a prisoner pick up. "And for a good, _long_ time."

A chirp from Kim's wrist drew their attention as she was covering the fallen agent's body with a nearby cloth. Before she could greet her friend, he jumped in. "Kim, I found out what that weird signal was," Wade said, near panicked. "Gemini's got a remote detonator in his arm!"

The one-eyed man began to laugh, blood oozing from his split lip. "I told you that you won't beat me this time Possible."

The heroes' faces paled. "Can you jam it, Wade?" Kim asked fearfully, eyes flashing about the room for something to help in case he got free. Computer consoles… _Too far away to help_... Stun batons… _Might short out the button and cause it to engage anyway_... A pistol lying nearby… _Could disable it, but I don't know where to aim_... Various debris… _I can't get to it fast enough to take a good swing... My God, what do I do?_

"I'm trying," the young man replied with concern. "But there's something screwy with the protocols. If he pushes that button GJ won't be able to make it in time to contain the biotoxin."

The madman's laughter turned increasingly maniacal as a faint "click" was heard. Without thinking, Kim dove.

Gemini's hands flew around to the front of his body, good hand reaching for his cybernetic forearm. Kim grabbed the cool metal and raised it as Ron's panicked voice cut through the madman's insane cackling.

"KIM!

_BANG!_

"Oh my God…"

-KP-KP-

_A/N:_

_ This chapter becomes that "turning point" for the characters. Its sense of regret and feel of change that may or may not be for the better leapt at me. To quote the title song – "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" by Green Day – "For what it's worth, it was worth all the while. I hope you had the time of your life."_

_I'd like to welcome all those joining us for the first time with this chapter. FFN snafu'ed last week and didn't have the chapter up for almost three days. I was a little cheezed and hopefully that won't happen here.  
_


	3. Interlude: Until It Sleeps

**Disclaimer: **"Kim Possible" and all associated characters and events are (c) Disney Corp. and are used without permission. No profit is sought for this work. (Ya know, the usual schtick. *grins*)

**Interlude 1: Until It Sleeps**

_*Note: Dialog translated from Russian_

"Phase one is complete, my sister."

"Does she suspect anything?"

The brunette simply shook her head. "She cannot. Events have gone exactly as you predicted they would."

The tanned woman lounging nearby smiled. "And just think, you doubted that butchering that rat he laughingly called a dog would be enough."

"And the sounds it made as I did were quite enjoyable." A wicked smile slowly etched itself onto the brunette's face. "I can't wait to see if her screams will be as beautiful."

The tanned woman unfolded herself from the couch she was on and sauntered over to the brunette. "Patience, dear sister," she said as she reached up to stroke the other woman's cheek. "We will get the chance to exact our revenge soon enough. In the meantime, we need to ensure that the good Doctor doesn't interfere."

"And how do we do that?"

"It's quite simple really," the tanned woman grinned. "With him out of the way, there is a hole in his organization. A hole I intend for us to fill."

The devious smile returned to the brunette's face as she embraced the tanned woman. "You know I always had a thing for random mayhem."

The evil look was mirrored on the tanned woman as she reached for the brunette's hand and led her to a door nearby. "And now, I have a surprise for you."

Opening the door the brunette's eyes lit up. The room looked like something out of a medieval horror complete with racks, cages, iron maidens and walls filled with various implements of torture. The blood stains on the equipment told of the amount of use they received. On the floor in the middle lay a woman bound and gagged. Her flame colored hair disheveled and piercing green eyes wide with fear at the sight of the two women. The brunette took a step to enter when she was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. The tanned woman looked at her with reproach.

"Do try not to break this one. It's getting difficult to acquire new toys for you." She released the brunette and smiled. "Enjoy," she said as she turned to exit, closing the door to the brunette and her "toy."

The last thing heard before the door closed was: "Now let's have a little fun…"

-KP-KP-

_A/N:_

_ This part needed something dark and foreboding as its theme so it got "Until It Sleeps" by Metallica. Make of it what you will._


	4. Chapter 3: The Freshman

**Disclaimer: **"Kim Possible" and all associated characters and events are (c) Disney Corp. and are used without permission. No profit is sought for this work. (Ya know, the usual schtick. *grins*)

**Chapter 3: The Freshman**

_ The madman's laughter turned increasingly maniacal as a faint "click" was heard. Without thinking, Kim dove. _

_ Gemini's hands flew around to the front of his body, good hand reaching for his cybernetic forearm. Kim grabbed the cool metal and raised it as Ron's panicked voice cut through the madman's insane cackling._

_ "KIM!_

BANG!

"NOOOOOOOOO!"

The redheaded woman bolted upright in her bed, drenched in a cold sweat and emerald eyes flashing utter terror. Slowly, she looked around and realized she was back in her childhood home, lying in the bed she had been in since the incident days ago. The reality sinking in, she slowly pulled her knees to her chest and wept.

-KP-KP-

Friends and family gathered around the distraught young woman curled on the bed. Monique, Ron, Hope and even the unexpected Yori, who had flown in all the way from Japan, all had concerned looks on their faces as they hoped they could relieve the pain on Kim's face and in her soul. She had turned inside herself in the time since the incident; barely eating, sleeping poorly, if at all.

A knock at the door brought the latest well-wisher, one Doctor Elizabeth Director, chief of the supranational police organization Global Justice. Kim's mother was taken by surprise when she opened the door and discovered who it was.

"I'm sorry, Elizabeth," Mrs. Possible started. "I know he was your brother…"

The older redhead was stopped by a raised hand. "Don't be," the eyepatch wearing woman said as she shook her head. "He made his own choices. I knew this day might come and I accepted that long ago."

"I'm glad you're here, though. Maybe you can help Kim get through this." The sapphire-eyed woman lead Doctor Director up to where her daughter was huddled, everyone important in the woman's life packed in the room.

The shorter woman sighed. "I sure hope so." When she saw the state Kim was in, she steeled herself for what she was about to do. She drew a breath and fixed the young woman with her single eye. There was no way she was going to make any friends when she opened her mouth, but it needed to be said. Sometimes she hated her job.

"Oh, grow up Kimberly," she spat with what could almost be contempt oozing from her lips. "You didn't think you could do this job forever without getting your hands a little messy once in a while, did you?"

Shock passed over the faces of everyone gathered, rendering them all speechless. All except for Mrs. Possible. "I think it's time for you to go, Elizabeth."

"You did what was necessary, Kimberly," the one-eyed woman continued, ignoring the woman's words. "He needed to be stopped and you stopped him."

"But I…" the redhead started, tears threatening to fall.

"I know what you did. And the world is better off." Doctor Director interrupted, nodding. Kim felt the tears begin to stream down her face at the connotation, but the cold-eyed head of GJ kept on. "Now get over yourself and get back to doing what you do best: Saving the world."

Mrs. Possible seethed, the ice in her voice chilling everyone to the bone. "Get out of my house."

Elizabeth looked over at Kim's mother and saw a look on that face that filled the brown-haired woman with something she hadn't admitted to feeling in a very long time: fear. A glance out of the corner of her good eye showed that the look was starting to be mirrored on the faces of everyone else in the room, save the sobbing girl on the bed.

"Perhaps I should," she finally said, mouth suddenly dry. She walked to the door and stopped, turning back to Kim. "Just one last thing, Kimberly," she started, her voice softening as sympathetic pain worked its way into her otherwise stoic visage. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry. The Hard Option is never an easy one to take, especially the first time."

After Doctor Director left, the only sounds to be heard were the quiet hiccuping tears of the young redhead in the bed.

Her mother bent down to the grief stricken woman. "Kim," she said, almost at a whisper. "Don't let what Elizabeth said get to you. I'm sure she means well enough."

Kim barely raised her head and mumbled, "Can you guys just leave me alone for a while?"

"Sure, Kim. If you need us, we'll be downstairs." With that, they started to leave the room, each giving the crying woman a sad glance.

But one person remained. The woman's best friend, partner and the one man that cared more for her than almost anyone else that was there.

"Kim…" he began as she rolled over and began weeping again.

"Ron, please," she sobbed into her pillow, interrupting him. "Just go."

He opened his mouth to say something for a moment. Thinking better of it, he gently kissed her on the head and left, saying simply, "Okay, Kim. I love you."

The redhead sobbed for what seemed like hours, the grief never letting up. A voice made her raise her head in surprise.

"Jeez, I thought they'd never leave."

Kim looked up to see a familiar pale-skinned thief lounging casually in the chair by the desk. "Shego," she spat.

"Hey, Princess," the raven-haired woman smirked. "How're ya doing?"

Kim glared at her. "Did you come here to gloat about how the 'Great Kim Possible' finally fell from grace?" she demanded, starting to rise from the bed she practically never left the last few days. As she stalked over to her seated nemesis, she kept on. "How about bitching about how Gemini finally beat me, something that _you_ never could? Or are you just going to fucking finish me off?" Getting nose to nose with the seated woman, Kim shouted, "Because with I've gone through, I swear to fucking God I will _take you with me_!"

Kim's fist flashed out and knocked the no longer smirking woman from the chair to land sprawling on the floor. She seethed while glowering down at the woman at her feet. Shego reached up to her sore chin and sighed, "I suppose I should have seen that coming."

"Fuck you," Kim growled as Shego started to pull herself up from the ground.

"Look, Kimmie -" She was interrupted by a kick that came out of nowhere to catch her in the stomach, knocking the breath from her lungs and sending her sprawling once again. "Okay," she coughed out. "If you wanna do it that way, fine. And here I was hoping we could do this the easy way for a change."

Shego rolled out of the way and flipped to her feet as Kim's foot came crashing down. Kim was on her in a heartbeat, throwing punches and kicks with a ferocity the thief had only seen once before, and she still had the burn scars on her back from having barely survived the encounter. Now it took all she had to keep herself from getting thoroughly thrashed and not hurt the person she was here to see.

Suddenly, she found herself slammed up against the wall with blood streaming down her face. The punch to her solar plexus had caught her unaware and Kim followed up by smashing Shego's face into her knee before pinning the woman to the wall with a forearm across her throat. The look in Kim's jade eyes was murderous as she pressed her arm harder into the pale woman's neck. "What makes you think I won't kill you this time, Shego?" she threatened, raising a fist that surely would take the other woman's head off.

"You're not a murderer, Kim."

Kim, she had said. Not "Princess" or "Pumpkin" or any one of the dozen other nicknames she had for her nemesis. Just "Kim." And it succeeded in doing what years of taunting had not: It gave the young woman pause.

The hesitation was not lost on the restrained woman. Her hands flashed out and grabbed the redhead's arm, spinning her around to slam face first into the same wall the brunette had been up against. Holding Kim there with her arm pinned to her back, Shego asked, "Are you done now? I sure hope so, because I didn't come here for a fight."

"So what the hell are you here for?" Kim spat while struggling in the hold Shego had her in.

The pale woman sighed. "I came here to tell you I'm sorry," she said and released her grip. Slowly, she walked back to sit in the chair she had appeared in. "And before you get all uppity," she continued while she nursed her injured nose, blood dripping on her green sweater. "No, it's not pity. It's supposed to be sympathy. Nice moves, by the way."

"What do you have to be sympathetic about?" Kim asked, venom dripping from her voice as she turned to face the woman. "What do you give a shit?"

Shego smirked as she pulled a handkerchief from the pocket of her black jeans and wiped the blood from her face. "Language, Kimmie," she grinned. "What would your parents think?"

"Go to hell," Kim bristled as she moved back to return to the bed.

The smile fell from Shego's face at those words. "I guess I deserved that," she sighed. "Sometimes the snarkiness comes too quickly between us. I'm sorry."

"Oh my God," Kim mocked, settling back on her bed. "The Great Shego actually _apologizing_? What is this world coming to?"

"Hey, I'm trying to give you a friendly ear…"

"You're not my damn friend!"

"Then how about some professional advice…"

"I don't need your fucking advice either!"

Shego opened her mouth to snap back, but then closed it and sighed. "I only want to help, Kim."

"I damn well don't need, or _want,_ your help," the woman on the bed spat once again. "And how the fuck do you think you could even _begin_ to help me right now?"

Shego looked Kim in the eye. "Because I've been there."

Kim narrowed her eyes and growled, "And what the hell does _that_ mean?"

"Do you think you're the only hero that's killed someone!" The hint of pain in Shego's eyes belied the anger in her voice.

Kim was caught off guard for a second time tonight. "What?" she asked, her fury ebbing.

Shego looked to the floor and sighed sadly. "I never told you why I left Team Go, did I?"

"Hego said you were fascinated by 'evil.'"

The pale skinned ex-hero smirked. "Well I always was the 'black sheep' of the family. But you never heard my side, have you?" When Kim shook her head, she continued. "Let me tell you a story, then."

Shego smiled faintly. "After the comet hit, Harry got this bright idea that we should be superheroes," she said. "I don't know, maybe he read too many Arachnidude comics. 'With great power comes great responsibility' and all that crap. So we went out and started making a name for ourselves. At first it was just stopping muggings then bank robberies, but later it got to real villains. Like Aviarius, Electronique... me."

Dark painted lips drooped, the bittersweet air of those emerald pools turned melancholy. "But the thing is, Harry didn't see the things Matt and I did. The way the thugs and goons we kept picking up would spend a week or two in jail only for us to round them up again later. The revolving door of the justice system that just kept spitting bad guys out. We became disillusioned." She paused to collect her thoughts.

A curious soft voice emanated from the woman sitting on the bed. "What happened?"

"Well, he became a sarcastic prick and I became the sardonic bitch you came to know and loathe," Shego smirked. "But that wasn't the end of it.

"Matt gave up, started just going through the motions of being a hero. He would've just quit if he hadn't thought it would disappoint Mom and Dad." The former hero raised her gaze to match Kim's, smirk fading away. The redhead saw the regret-tinged conviction behind Shego's green eyes. "But me, I _believed_ in what we were doing. I thought we were really trying to do some good by putting away bad guys. But once I saw the reality of it, I got pissed. I started figuring that if the system wasn't gonna keep these guys off the streets, I was."

"You didn't," Kim wondered, wide eyed at the implications. "Did you?"

"No, Kimmie, I didn't." Shego's face lit with a small half-smile. The mirth lasted only for a moment, quickly turning pensive. "Not intentionally anyway. I so got tired of locking up the same goons over and over that I just started busting heads. The more heads I busted, the fewer guys we kept seeing. And it worked, for a while.

"Eventually we got wind of a huge mob operation running drugs into Go City. I spent days smashing things up until I found enough evidence for us to take them down. When we finally busted the Boss, he turned out to be a well respected businessman in the city." Her emerald eyes narrowed bitterly. "He just lawyered up and walked."

Sadness and hints of guilt flashed across Shego's face erasing the repressed anger. "Then my best friend Caitlynn OD'ed."

"Oh, my God," Kim muttered sadly. "I'm sorry."

"We had known each other forever," Shego continued, lost in her memories. "We did everything together; double dates, had the same classes in school. Hell, we were even roommates in college. She was the reason I didn't give up on the hero stuff like Matt. She was my 'Ron.'

"Nobody had a clue she was doing heroin so when she died it came as a huge shock. I was devastated, I blamed everyone for her death. It took me a week after her funeral before I would even leave my room." Tears threatened to fall from Shego's eyes as Kim listened with rapt attention. "When I finally did, though, I was even more pissed. I wanted to find the bastard that did this to Cate and make him pay, so I went on the warpath. I spent days, then weeks, tearing into mobsters and gangbangers tracing the source of the smack that Cate bought before I caught up to the guy in charge."

Shego's voice turned cold. "Marcus fucking Finnegan," she spat. "The same asshole that we busted a month before. We had enough evidence to take down his whole damn operation in one fell-swoop, but he walked on an invented technicality. What we had on him was ironclad but his crooked lawyers got him off."

"Marcus Finnegan? The shipping magnate?" the redhead questioned. "I heard he jumped out of a twenty-third story window after being accused of drug smuggling."

The ex-thief dropped her head and gazed unseeingly at the floor. When she spoke, her words were so quiet that the woman on the bed almost missed them. "He didn't jump, Kim."

"My God." Kim was stunned at the revelation. "Shego..." She trailed off. Her mind had simply shut down.

The seated woman nodded somberly. "I put all the blame on him and made him pay. When Harry found out what I did, he went off on me. He had – still has – this unrealistic ideal of what a hero is and should be."

"He did something stupid, didn't he?"

Shego smiled bitterly. "Oh, yeah." She felt a flash of anger rising at the memory. "He tore into me over and over for days, the whole time ranting stuff like 'heroes don't kill people' and how it was going to make Team Go look to the public. About how that was something only a villain would do; how only evil people would so readily take a life. That floored me. I couldn't believe he'd say something so fucking stupid. He was my damn _brother, _for Chrissakes. I felt betrayed. So finally I tore my mask off and told him that if it takes being evil to make a difference, then maybe I _should _be a villain."

"Bastard." Kim muttered.

"You have no idea, Kim. I met up with Doctor D a little while later. The rest is history." Shego smiled slightly. "I was fed up with Harry's crap and planned to split anyway. I would've happily gone it alone until that happened." The pale woman scoffed. "You know, if I didn't have such an asshole brother, we might've been on the same side instead of at each other's throats all these years."

"Just when you needed him to be supportive," Kim said, anger at the man beginning to rise. "Just when you needed someone to talk to, some back up, he goes and does that. Asshole."

Shego nodded. "And that's why I can't stand him," she stated, wiping her eyes. "But I didn't come here to bitch about my issues. How are you holding up?"

Kim pulled her knees to her chest and sighed. "I killed someone, Shego. How do you think I feel?"

"Short answer: 'like shit'," the pale woman said with a slight smirk. "But think of it this way: You didn't have much choice in the matter, did you?"

"There's _always_ a choice."

"Bullshit." Shego locked eyes with the woman on the bed. "I've seen it from both sides of the proverbial fence, Kim, and I know that there's real evil out there. Not like how I claimed to be evil – True Evil. Evil with a capital 'E.' Evil that creeps in the shadows and corrupts good people into doing things they would never do otherwise. Evil that forces you to make sacrifices for the greater good. And sometimes, unfortunately, those sacrifices have to be human."

"But what about 'Thou shall not kill?'"

"That's a great idea, in theory," pointed out Kim's once rival. "But it doesn't always work in the real world. The real world isn't black and white, like you think it is or want it to be; its shades of grey. Everyone that 'fights the good fight' ends up finding this out sooner or later." Her voice softened. "And... I'm sorry you had to discover it that way."

Kim could feel the tears start to well up again. "But a man _died_ because of me."

"And a man died because of me," Shego reminded her. "But _you_ did the right thing. How many more would have died if you hadn't stopped him? Thousands? Millions? He had _every intention_ of releasing that plague on the planet; you _know_ that, you were _there_. A shitload of people owe you their lives now, whether they know it or not."

"That doesn't stop the fact that I have his blood on my hands," Kim said, looking at her hands with disgust.

Shego sighed sympathetically. "We all have regrets, Kim. We all have 'blood on our hands' for something. As much as I hate to agree with Betty on anything, she's right. The Hard Option is never easy. And its not supposed to be. Its supposed to be a last resort. But if you keep the greater good in mind, you can live with yourself afterwards _if_ you ever need it."

"Is that what it's supposed to be then?" Kim spat, tears falling down her face once again. "A numbers game with people's lives?"

"That's exactly what it is, Kim," the raven haired woman said softly. "You think about how many more you can save, and that's all."

"What right do I have to be judge, jury and executioner? Who made me God?"

"You aren't playing God," she replied sadly. "If it helps, look at it like this: You're doing surgery. You're cutting out the cancer from the world."

Shego paused. The woman was again fighting back tears as Kim put her head on her knees and began to sob. After a few moments, she stood up from the chair she was in and moved to the crying redhead on the bed. She sat down next to Kim and put a comforting arm around her. Kim looked up and asked, "What about Will Du? He died there too."

"He knew the risks, Kim," the thief explained. "He knew what it might cost him and he still did it. That's part of the sacrifice you need to be able to make to be a hero. Sometimes protecting innocent people costs you everything, but you do it anyway because it's right."

"If that's what it takes, I don't want the job." Kim looked away bitterly.

"It's not a job, Kim. It's a calling. You either are, or you're not." The older woman smirked. "Can you honestly tell me you'd be happy not being out there on the front lines brawling with henchmen? Busting the bad guys and seeing them brought to justice? C'mon."

Kim sighed. Shego was right – there was no way she'd be able to be content with sitting on the sidelines. This was something she _needed_ to do. This was _who_ she was, and always would be. Like her fiery hair or olive eyes, it was part of her. But could she live with the reality of it, the pain and suffering of being a hero? The malevolence of good? What else would she have to sacrifice? And who?

Finally, she embraced her nemesis and thanked her for the talk. "How did you get so much smarter than me?" she wondered with a faint smile on her lips.

"School of hard knocks, Pumpkin," Shego smiled back. "That, and a minor in psychology kinda helps." They both shared a quick laugh at that before the pale thief asked, "Are you gonna be okay, Kim?"

"Yeah," the redhead muttered sorrowfully. "I... I think I'll survive. Thanks again."

They shared another hug before Shego moved to the window. She was stopped from climbing out of it by Kim's voice.

"Hey, Shego," the young woman started hesitatingly. "Is it... is it worth it? All the garbage that comes with, I mean?"

The pale woman thought for a second. Turning back to meet Kim's eyes with her own, she had one last piece of advice. "Only you can make that call, Kim."

And with that statement, the woman disappeared out the window and into the night. Kim never saw the tears of regret on the once-hero's face.

-KP-KP-

_A/N:_

_ This chapter went through several title changes until it settled on The Verve Pipe's "The Freshman" – the first choice I had. The first line practically screamed to be Kim and Shego and at one point they've both been "guilt stricken, sobbing with our heads on the floor." The rest of the song practically told the chapter. In the end, though, they were merely Freshman..._


	5. Chapter 4: Did My Time

**Disclaimer: **"Kim Possible" and all associated characters and events are (c) Disney Corp. and are used without permission. No profit is sought for this work. (Ya know, the usual schtick. *grins*)

**Chapter 4: Did My Time**

"Go, Wade."

"Great to see you're feeling better," Wade smiled from the small screen on Kim's oversized wristwatch. "Feel up to a mission?"

The redhead smiled back. "Sure. I've been getting bored just cooped up here in the house these last couple weeks."

"Good," the young man nodded. "Cause I got a tip that Duff Killigan's been buying up large amounts of ammonium nitrate. You think we should check it out?"

"Does it say who it's from?"

The dark-skinned teenager shook his head. "Nope. It's just one of the many anonymous tips that come through your site every day. Most are junk and get filtered automatically."

Kim quirked an eyebrow. "So why did this one make it through?"

"It's the chemistry behind it," Wade replied. "Ammonium nitrate mixed right with diesel fuel can make a decent high explosive. That's what brought down the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City all those years ago."

"I don't know what's weirder," she muttered with a small smirk. "The fact that you know that, or that you know that at fifteen."

The pudgy teen shrugged. "Well, after what happened last time, I thought I should do some research." He missed the slight hardening of his friend's eyes at his words.

"I suppose better safe than sorry," Kim sighed. "I'll go check it out. Send all the info to the Sloth and then Ron and I will head right out. Please and thank you."

At that moment, the young lady's twin brothers popped their heads into the room. "No can do, Kim," they said, finishing each other's sentences and speaking as though the two teen boys shared a brain. "We've got your car on blocks right now for some upgrades. It'll be out of commission for a day or so."

An unexpectedly severe angry glare from olive eyes fixed on the brown haired boys made them flinch. They quickly apologized and sped off to continue their work on Kim's car. She sighed and turned back to the small device on her wrist and the technical genius on the screen. "I guess I'll need a ride then, Wade."

"Just like old times, eh, Kim?" he smiled.

"Whatever, Wade," she grumbled. "Just... ride."

Several hours later, in the skies above Scotland, Kim and Ron were approaching their target.

"Back to Killigan's Island," Ron observed.

Kim just groaned. "Ron, that joke wasn't funny the first time and its not funny this time."

"What?"

Kim just sighed deeply and silently wondered if her fiancé was really that stupid or if he was only acting completely clueless. Out loud she simply said, "Never mind. Just get ready to jump."

Moving to the cockpit of the small transport, she found the pilot. "Thanks again for the ride, Major Stapp."

The Major just smiled. "No problem, Kimberly. After how you fixed our rocket sled, this was the least we could do."

"Oh, it was no big," the redheaded hero smiled back. "It was just like doing a brake job on my car. The only difference was going at Mach eight."

"Well, thanks anyway," he said, then quirked an eyebrow. "I'll be honest, its strange seeing you carry around that SIG, but I trust you know what you're doing." Stapp glanced down at a light that began blinking on the console. "We'll be over the drop zone in a few minutes. You and your friend might want to get ready."

In minutes, the two crime-fighters were on a verdant green of a championship level golf course creeping silently towards the castle across the island from them. Ron kept eyeing his fiancée oddly. Kim, however, was getting bothered by the strange stares from the blond man. As they reached the grand front entrance of the low castle, she finally cracked.

"Alright, Ron," she snapped, whirling around to face him. "What's the deal? You've been looking at me funny since we got started on this mission."

He visibly flinched at the tone of her voice, not being used to hearing such a scathing tone from her. The young man calmed after a moment. "There's some stuff that's just been… I don't know… _off_ about you this time, KP." His words came out almost painfully. "I mean, I know that it sometimes gets chilly here, but you've never brought a jacket when you faced Killigan on his home turf before. And I can see there's something under it and its like you're trying to hide it or something. And I heard what Major Stapp said about a 'cig.' What was that about? Did you start smoking?" Ron was panting with the exertion of his tirade. It was as if just speaking was an effort.

Kim, however, simply sighed. Reaching into her lightweight black jacket, she said, "Its this." She withdrew a black pistol and handed it to Ron. "And it's 'SIG.' S-I-G. As in: 'SIG-Sauer.'"

Ron's eyes went wide. "Kim," he asked, his voice wavering. "What's this?"

"What do you _think_ it is?" she snarked while rolling her eyes. The look on his face remained blank. She sighed again, took the weapon back from him and reholstered it. "Its a SIG-Sauer P229 chambered for the nine-by-nineteen millimeter NATO JHP with an STC 900L tactical light/laser sight and a thirteen round magazine." The way she rattled off the information on the newest addition to her tools made a chill run up Ron's spine.

"B-but, I thought you didn't like guns, KP."

"Amp down, Ron," the redhead smirked as she turned to face the door, studying it for traps. "Its no big."

He shook his head. "No, this is a very big. Someone could get hurt."

"Don't you think I know that?" she snapped, whirling to face him once again. Her jade eyes showed an uncharacteristically hard edge at her words. "Its a dangerous world out there. I know people can, and will, get hurt. This is to make sure it's not us." She sighed and reached up to pinch the bridge of her nose. Her head was starting to throb. _Why doesn't he get it? Was he really that dense? I'm doing this for us, for all of us. Why doesn't he fucking understand? People like Gemini needed to be stopped and if it takes the Hard Option to do it, then… so be it._

Taking a deep, cleansing breath she willed the pain in her head away. She opened her eyes and looked back at the man she claimed to love, the ice having melted from her gaze. The look on his face was reminiscent of a puppy that had been kicked.

"Look, if it makes you feel better," she said with a comforting tone. "I haven't looked at it, much less fired it, since I got it when I turned eighteen. Doctor Director wanted me to have one 'just in case' and after all this time, I don't think I could hit the broad side of a barn."

"Wait," the freckled man started. "You've had this for _four__ years_? Why didn't you tell me?"

Kim looked over with a droll look on her face. "Simple, I knew you'd freak," she explained. "Just like you are right now."

"I'm not 'freaking' Kim. I'm expressing legitimate concerns." The young man's voice was rising.

"No, you _are_ freaking," she replied, anger rising again. "And will you try to keep your damn voice down. There is such a thing as stealth and it generally requires quiet."

Ron was taken aback at the harsh words from his fiancée. "And when did you start swearing?" he asked. "What's up with you recently?"

"Damn it, Ron," the redhead hissed. "Are you fucking _trying_ to get us – "

The creaking of an opening door interrupted Kim's rant. "Caught," she finished as she turned to see the balding, red bearded visage of the insane golfer Duff Killigan. She sighed at her partner and muttered, "We'll finish this later."

The look on the Scotsman's face was displeased, to say the least. "Are ye two done yellin' at ma front door," he spat, scowling down at the interlopers with his arms crossed. "Do ye know whot bloody time 'tis?"

Kim's jade eyes hardened as she glared up at the larger man in front of her. "What are you planning this time, Killigan?"

"I _was_ plannin' ta get back ta sleep once ye bugger off an' leave me alone."

"Not good enough."

Kim's punch caught both men by surprise. In an instant the small woman was all over the big man, throwing him around the entryway like a rag doll. Ron was alarmed at his partner's viciousness. "Kim, what are you doing?"

If the words penetrated to her mind, she showed nothing. After a short time of thrashing the redheaded man, she finally slammed him against the wall and held him there with her left hand grasping the collar of his flannel robe. "Let's have a little chat about your spending habits, shall we?" she snarled up at the bruised man.

"Have ye gone daft lass?" he wondered, confusion creeping into his voice. "Whot did ah do?"

"It's what you're going to do that is the real question," Kim rumbled. "Spill."

"Ah told ye, ah just wanna get back ta bed," he said, whining a little. "Ah need ta be up early ta get some yard work done."

The redheaded hero landed a powerful punch to the man's face. "What's your target?"

"Whot target?" Killigan asked, blood now oozing down his baffled face. "Ah just need ta get some landscapin' done."

Ron was getting concerned. "Maybe he really doesn't have any plan for the ammonium nitrate, KP."

"Ammonium…?" the golfer started, completely bewildered. Then, he realized what they were referring to. "Ye mean ma _fertilizer_? _That's_ whot this is about?"

Kim slammed him against the wall a second time. "So you _do_ know what we're here for?" she spat. "Keep talking."

"Ah use tha ta fertilize ma lawn."

"Why do you need so much of it? What are you scheming?" Kim's eyes were turning murderous.

The Scotsman gaped at the woman in front of him. "Have ye _seen_ tha size of ma yard? It's a bleedin' _golf course_!"

Kim stared the large man in the eye. "Still not buying it, Killigan. There's too much else that makes me smell bullshit." Her eyes narrowed as her voice turned grim. "Maybe I need to turn to stronger measures." Ron saw what she meant as she began reaching into her jacket. Laying a hand on her shoulder to try to stop her, he opened his mouth to speak.

She reacted badly. Her left arm flashed out behind her to wrap around the arm Ron grasped her shoulder with, breaking the elbow with a sickening crunch. Twisting back, she slammed him face first into the wall next to Killigan, Ron's shoulder dislocating with a resounding pop. A faint click was heard and the man could feel the cold steel of Kim's gun pressed into his cheek, her finger on the trigger.

For long, agonizing moments the only thing heard in the castle was the breathing of the three people – two paralyzed by fear, one by rage. After what seemed like an eternity, the young woman blinked and slowly realized what she had done. "I'm sorry, Ron," she stuttered as she released her victim and stowed her weapon. Turning to stare icily at the now cowering pajama-clad man beside her, she snapped, "I'll be keeping an eye on you. Whatever it is you're doing, you won't get away with it."

Her blond sidekick turned to her as they were walking away and, in a quaking voice, asked, "What was that all about, KP?"

"I don't know," she replied, worry creeping into her voice. She looked apologetically at the floor. "I guess I just… overreacted. Sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it, it was an accident." He looked as though he were going to reach up to place a comforting hand on her shoulder, but withdrew it with a slight flash of fear. His forced smile almost succeeded in covering it from Kim. "Let's just get me to a hospital; this busted elbow hurts like crazy."

-KP-KP-

"I just don't get it, Mo," Kim sighed to her friend a few days later as she was cruising the Middleton Mall with her mocha skinned friend and her roommate. "I mean, I was so pissed off that I wasn't thinking. That never happened to me before."

"Chill out, GF," the dark haired woman smiled as she placed a friendly arm across the redhead's shoulder. Kim stiffened almost imperceptibly at the touch. "It's probably just stress. Stuff happens."

"Something I'm wondering about is all the swearing," Hope said, eyebrow raised. "In all the years I've known you, Kim, I think I can count the number of dirty words you've uttered on one hand."

Kim just shrugged. "People change, I guess."

A voice that no one presently wanted to hear suddenly burst in. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know this was loser day at the mall."

Kim's eyes narrowed as she turned to glower at the new arrival. "Bonnie."

The brown haired woman sported a predatory grin. "Hi there, K. How are things between you and that idiot you call a fiancé?"

Kim could feel another headache brewing. Reaching up to pinch the bridge of her nose, she grumbled, "Not now, Bonnie. I'm having a bad day."

But Bonnie wasn't deterred; if anything, it encouraged her. "Ooh, trouble in paradise?" she smirked. "Is big Ronnie having issues with little Ronnie? That's what you get for being with someone like Stoppable."

"Damn it, Bonnie," Kim snapped, fire starting to burn in her eyes. "I told you, I don't want to deal with your shit right now." _That bitch is so damn smug sometimes, like she's the greatest thing on earth_, Kim thought_. But she's nobody. She's always harping about how she's so much better than everyone at everything. Maybe if she tried half as hard as she should then maybe she'd get what she wants instead of bitching about how someone cheated her out of it when all they did was half try. Someone ought to put her in her place_.

The belligerent woman gasped theatrically. "Oh, my God," she mocked. "Kim Possible swearing? What is this world coming to?"

"I said shut up, Bonnie." _Maybe I should do something. She pisses me off so fucking much._

"And if I don't?" Bonnie's smile was feral. Kim looked up and met the woman's eyes with her own, the fire turning to ice. _Alright, that's _it!

The redhead stalked up to her high school rival and stared into her eyes. Suddenly, Kim's hand flashed out to grab the tanned diva tightly by the throat. She spun around and dragged the gasping woman to the railing looking out over the third floor of the mall. Leaning the frightened woman precariously over the three story drop, Kim got nose to nose with her.

"I told you to leave me the fuck alone," she growled. "I've put up with enough of your shit growing up, Rockwaller, and I'm through with it. Now fuck off or I swear I'll make it so you don't bother anybody else _ever._ Got it?"

Abject terror passed across Bonnie's blue eyes as she nodded her head. The irate redhead hauled the frightened woman to her feet and shoved her away to land against the wall. "You're fucking crazy, Possible," she rasped as she rubbed her now sore neck.

"Like I give a damn what you think anymore," Kim spat as she turned to walk away. After getting a few steps, she turned back, smiled wickedly and waved at the now practically cowering woman. "You be sure to have a nice day, Bon-Bon."

Kim's companions gaped at the exchange in front of them. In all their years of knowing the hero, they had never seen such a reaction before. Hope was the first to recover and she jogged after the retreating redhead. "What was that all about?" she questioned.

"I just got fed up with her," Kim huffed, not looking back or stopping. "I just couldn't take any more of her BS."

Monique caught up with the departing women and said, "GF, you've been different since that day at RMA. What's up?"

"Simple," the redheaded woman responded. "The bad guys won and people died on my watch. I can't let that happen again."

"Kim, you did what you could," the mocha skinned woman replied, a concerned expression on her face. "My dad was one of them but you don't see me getting all PO'ed and threatening to hurt people. "

"Different people handle things differently." Kim's hands balled up in angry fists and her teeth clenched. "And I assure you the bastard responsible for what happened at Rocky Mountain paid for what he did."

Hope shook her head and stopped Kim with a hand on her arm. "No, she's right, Kim. You've changed, and I'm not sure it's for the better."

The redhead whirled on her friend, fire burning in her olive eyes. "What would you rather I do?" she demanded. "Would you rather just I roll over and fucking _take it_?"

"No," her roommate stated. "But you could handle things a little gentler. I mean, you darn near threatened to kill _Bonnie_. She's been giving you a hard time since like sixth grade and you always said that she was 'high school evil' at best."

"And let's not forget that just a few days ago you broke Ron's elbow _and_ pulled a gun on him," Monique put in. "Ron. You know, your _fiancé_?"

"What about the fact that a month ago I went up against a psycho that was threatening to release who-knows-what to murder thousands of people? A psycho that I had to _kill_ to save all those people! Doesn't that account for anything?" The raging hero's voice was starting to rise as she continued, turning on her dark-skinned friend. "You're bitching about your fucking dad, but what about all the others, huh? What about all those other mothers, fathers, sons and daughters that Gemini murdered? What makes yours so god damn special?"

A slap resounded across the near silent mall. Kim's head snapped to the side, a red hand print growing on her cheek. Without looking – without thinking – the redhead's own hand flashed out and sent a powerful punch back to her dark-skinned friend, knocking her flat. Monique looked up at Kim aghast as she reached up to hold her bruising face.

"What's happened to you?" she muttered sadly. "It's almost as though I don't know you anymore."

"Maybe you never did, Mo," Kim deadpanned.

The young fashionista hauled herself to her feet and locked her brown eyes with Kim's green ones, pained betrayal meeting bitter callousness for long moments. Finally, a sad sigh and a lone, regretful tear. "Maybe you're right."

As the two women turned and walked away from each other, Hope ran after Kim. "What the hell?" the young brunette asked angrily. "You just hit Mo."

"Shit happens, Hope. Get over it," Kim snapped back over her shoulder. "I'll see you at home."

-KP-KP-

_A/N:_

_ "Did My Time" by Korn screamed at me to be this chapter. The barely contained anger and frustration evident struck me as what Kim might be going through throughout this episode. And the slight feeling of darkness coming from a "standard" Korn song... well..._

_ And if anyone's worried about the fertilizer/diesel thing (Admins take note!): That much gets broadcast all over the news whenever some idiot uses it so I'm not saying anything that might be worrisome for DHS or any of those other "Alphabet Agencies" watching for that sort of thing. Besides, they can track that stuff these days. That said: THE INFORMATION IS FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY! UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU TRY ANYTHING LIKE THAT AT HOME! YOU RISK SERIOUS INJURY, DEATH, LEGAL RAMIFICATIONS AND/OR CRIMINAL PENALTIES IF YOU DO! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!_


	6. Chapter 5: Sweet Dreams

**Disclaimer: **"Kim Possible" and all associated characters and events are (c) Disney Corp. and are used without permission. No profit is sought for this work. (Ya know, the usual schtick. *grins*)

**Chapter 5: Sweet Dreams (Are Made of These)**

"What do we have here? It's the Princess and the Pinhead."

The voice was familiar, but when Kim and Ron looked up from their booth at Bueno Nacho, they did a double take. The pale woman standing smirking by the table was wearing a tailored black suit with an emerald button down shirt underneath. The tray of tacos she held casually in one hand struck them as odd.

"Shego?" Kim's face betrayed the confusion she felt. "Is that you?"

The newcomer mocked the expression the redhead had, smirk still plastered on her face. "Well, doy."

Kim slowly smiled. "Yep, it's you."

The expression on Shego's face melted into a returning smile. The seated woman was slightly surprised to notice that it seemed a genuine one; a happy one. Not since the "Incident" back in high school when the former sidekick hadn't been herself had Kim seen Shego smile like that. It was strange, to say the least.

The redhead slid further into the booth and gestured for the still standing woman to sit with them. Surprise flashed across Shego's face for a moment before joining her former nemeses at their table. As she sat, Ron was the first to speak.

"Um, Kim," he started, concern lacing his voice. "Are you sure about this? I mean, it _is_ Shego."

"Obviously you forgot Drakken retired and went legit," Kim smiled. "Shego became his head of security."

The newcomer simply raised her slender hand. "Relax, Stoppable," she smiled. "Even recovering villains need to eat sometimes."

Utter befuddlement flashed across the blond man's face. The pale woman sighed. "Tacos, moron," she explained, gesturing at her tray. When she saw the baffled look remaining on the man's face, she deadpanned, "I must have tacos or I'll explode. That happens sometimes."

That drew a reaction from him. While he yelped and cringed – first in fear, then in pain – the two women sitting erupted into laughter. "That's not funny," he huffed, clutching his sling and cast wrapped arm.

"I don't know," Shego snickered, emerald eyes twinkling mischievously. "I thought it was hilarious."

That earned a light swat from the redhead sitting next to her. "Shego," she playfully warned. "Be nice."

"I don't do 'nice,' Kimmie," Shego responded, still grinning. "Tolerable, maybe. Nice, never."

"Really?" the olive eyed hero smirked. "Because I seem to remember a little incident back in high school..."

"Don't even go there, Pumpkin."

"Whatever you say," Kim said, turning her attention back to the salad in front of her. Her face was fighting back a smile. "Miss Go."

The "recovering villain" turned towards the blond man sitting across from them and sighed mirthfully. "And just think," she chuckled, gesturing at the woman giggling beside her. "_This _is what you're going to have to put up with for the rest of your life."

"I know," he responded, a fond smile cracking his face. "Isn't it great?"

Shego blinked at him and turned to look at Rufus who had reappeared from wherever he had hidden when she first showed. The naked mole rat was making gagging motions at the actions of his owner.

"Ya know something, Wonderrat?" she said, raising an eyebrow and smiling. "I completely agree." Reaching over to him with a taco in her hand, she smirked. "Here, have a taco."

Shifting her gaze back to the blond sitting across from her while the pink skinned rodent devoured the proffered faux Mexican food she gestured towards his arm. "So, Stoppable," she questioned. "What happened?" Seeing the dreamy expression still smeared across his eyes, she reached up and waved a hand in front of his face. "Stoppable... Hey, Stoppable..." Finally flashing a small blast of her plasma from her hand, she yelled, "RON!"

Ron jumped in his seat and, reverie broken, looked around slightly confused. "Huh...? Wha...?"

Shego smiled at Kim. "And this is _yours _for the rest of your life."

"I haven't strangled him yet," Kim smiled back.

"Operative word being 'yet,' I assume?" Shego teased. Kim's response was a grin and a simple one-fingered salute. Shego smiled wider and pointed across the table. "Not even in _his_ wildest dreams, Pumpkin."

"Hey!"

"And speaking of the Buffoon," she said, turning back towards Ron with the grin sliding off her face. "What _did_ happen to your arm?"

"It was... uhh..." he stuttered, glancing towards his fiancée.

Kim picked up instead. "It was... an accident," she said. It wasn't exactly a lie, more a convenient telling of the truth. Something the former thief immediately caught. "An accident we had while on a mission."

The momentary flash of fear in his eyes and the slight hardening of Kim's features caught Shego by surprise. Choosing not to comment on them, she instead replied, "Well, stuff happens. Its a tough job you guys do. I'm surprised you don't get hurt more often."

"Well, we have some training for that," Ron grinned. The fact that the grin failed to reach his

eyes was not lost on the former villainess. "Oh, speaking of training: Don't forget, KP. I'll be flying out in a couple days. I wish you could make it this time."

Kim's head suddenly throbbed. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment as she turned to look up at Ron. _He's taking off? Already? _she thought. _We just got engaged! With all that's happened, we haven't even gotten a chance to properly celebrate it yet! S_he reached up to hold her forehead. "You're going to Yamanouchi?"

"Well, yeah. We go every year, remember?" The look his fiancée flashed him made him stop. "Kim?" he asked, concerned. "Is something wrong?"

_Is he _really_ that blind? _she wondered to herself. _Can he really not see anything wrong with this?_ She closed her eyes once again and sighed. "I've just got a headache," she lied. "I think I'll just head out and lay down." She climbed out of the booth and walked around to kiss him almost mechanically on his cheek. "Call me later about it, okay? Love you."

The confusion on his face spoke volumes to the other woman seated at the table. "Love you too," he said as she walked away, not waiting for his reply. "I hope you feel better, Kim."

Shego took the interaction in, looking between Ron's perplexed face and where Kim had gone. After a moment, she turned back to him. "So what's really going on?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Shego," Ron replied, focusing on his food.

"Don't bullshit me, Stoppable," she growled. "I saw the way you two were acting. Something's up and I want to know what."

He sighed as he put down the naco he was about to bite into. "I'm worried about her, Shego," he said, concern creeping into his tone. "Something's bothering her and she won't talk to me. She..." He paused and his warm, brown eyes met Shego's momentarily. His expression speaking to the heartache he felt. "Ever since Gemini... died..." He winced almost imperceptibly as he spoke. "She's been... different. Almost like she's someone else. Someone mean and vicious."

When he paused, the words sank in to Shego's mind. "She did this," she asked softly, gesturing at his cast. "Didn't she?"

Sadly, he nodded. "Yeah. On the last mission we were on. About a month ago we went to investigate some stuff Duff Killigan was doing and she beat him within an inch of his life. When I tried to stop her, she broke my elbow, dislocated my shoulder and stuck her gun in my ear."

"Wait," she said disbelieving, putting down the soda she was about to drink from. "She's _carrying? _When did this start?"

"I don't know," he shrugged, not looking up from his tray. "She said she's had it for a few years but hadn't touched since she got it. All I know is that she went to draw it on Killigan when I stopped her. And Hope said that she got into a fight with Monique last week at the mall and even threatened to kill Bonnie Rockwaller."

"Fuck," she muttered. "She's taking this worse than I thought."

"Huh?" he questioned, looking up at her. "What's that?"

Realizing what she said, she waved him off and dismissed her words. As she slid out of the booth, she reached into her jacket pocket. Her pale hand withdrew a small card and passed it to the blond man still sitting there. "Here's my card. Call me if you guys want to get together for a drink or something sometime, okay? I gotta go."

"Shego... ?"

"Its been nice chatting with you, Ron," she called as she walked out the door leaving him to stare at her retreating form.

"Huh. She didn't even finish her tacos," he said, looking down at the tray of food Shego left on the table. "I guess that's all the more for us, isn't it?" He smiled glumly at his remaining companion. Rufus looked up at him and nodded back before diving in to the abandoned meal.

-KP-KP-

_A/N:_

_The happy/scary sound of the Eurythmics song "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of These)" I felt fit with the feel of this chapter. While most of the chapter is light-hearted, there's still that almost creepy undertone that remains. I chose not to use the Marilyn Manson version because it felt more angry than eerie – something this chapter needed._

_I'd also like to apologize for the extreme lateness of posting this week. I've been swamped at school this week and I forgot how bad college can be. Gomen nasai!_


	7. Chapter 6: Another Brick in the Wall

**Disclaimer: **"Kim Possible" and all associated characters and events are (c) Disney Corp. and are used without permission. No profit is sought for this work. (Ya know, the usual schtick. *grins*)

**Chapter 6: Another Brick In The Wall**

"Three freaking months," Kim grumbled as she laid in her bed. It had been a couple weeks since the news had been broken to her that her fiancé was going to be traveling to Japan for more training and she was still upset.

The door to her dorm room opened and her roommate entered. "What was that, Kim?" she asked, dropping the stack of books she was carrying on a desk nearby.

"I said he's going to be gone for three months," the redhead replied, getting irate. "And he didn't even ask me if it was going to be okay!"

"Whoa, calm down," Hope said, raising her arms defensively. "I just wondered what you said."

Kim sighed. "I'm sorry, Hope. I guess its still a sore point for me right now. I mean, we got engaged back in March and, with everything that's gone on in the last few months, we haven't gotten to celebrate it."

"Well, since we're both done with class for the day," Kim's roommate grinned while flopping down on her bed. "Why don't _we_ go out to celebrate it?"

"I don't want to go clubbing right now, Hope," Kim groaned.

"Who said anything about a club?"

The redhead looked confused. "But you said..."

"I know what I said," Hope cut in, grin widening. "I meant we go out for a burger or pizza and a few drinks. You know, just have a good time."

Kim sighed and grudgingly agreed. "As long as we aren't out too late, I _do_ need to study for finals next week."

"That's fine," the tanned woman replied. "Now about what you're wearing."

"What about what I'm wearing?" The redhead glanced down at the outfit she had on. Her sweats, socks and tee shirt screamed "Lazy College Student."

Now it was Hope's turn to sigh. "Kim," she started with a smile creeping on her face. "I know we're both 'taken,' but that's no reason to look like a couple of bums."

"Hope!"

The woman just giggled.

-KP-KP-

Two hours later, the duo pulled into the parking lot. "You know," Kim said off handed. "In all these years, I've never been to a 'Clive and Duster's.' What's it like?"

The tanned woman beside her grinned. "Think 'J.P. Bearrymore' for grown-ups," she replied as they parked and strolled through the door. "By the way, I hope you remembered your ID." The green-eyed woman quirked an eyebrow and turned to her friend who simply smiled and pointed ahead of them. "Full bar."

"Spankin,'" Kim grinned back. "Get me a virgin daiquiri while I grab us a table."

Later, as Kim was pondering the menu, a familiar voice caught her attention. "Hey, Princess. Fancy meeting you here."

"Shego?" She smiled up at her once-nemesis. "Are you stalking me?"

The pale hued ex-thief smiled back as she pulled up a chair and sat. "I could ask you the same there, Kimmie," she smirked, placing her drink on the table. "This is the second time in a month we wound up at the same restaurant."

"I'm just here with a friend," Kim smiled. "You know, Friday night girls' night out." As the hero spoke, Hope returned and handed Kim her drink. She thanked the tanned woman and made introductions. When she sipped the daiquiri, her olive eyes crossed for a second. "Umm, Hope," she wheezed out after she could breathe. "I thought I asked for a virgin."

"I know," Hope replied grinning. "But your car drives itself so I figured why not go with a 'slut.'"

Shego practically choked on the vodka-tonic she chose to sip at exactly the wrong time. "What did she say?" she coughed out, not quite sure her ears were working right.

Hope was giggling while Kim turned several shades of red. "That's what she calls a strong drink," the redhead sighed as she sent a good natured glare at her roommate. "She says that if a drink without alcohol is a 'virgin'..."

"Then one with a lot must 'really get around,'" Shego finished, grinning. "Makes a twisted sort of sense."

Suddenly, four notes were heard. Kim released an exasperated sigh. "Please Wade, not now," she whined before she answered her "Kimmunicator." As the screen activated, she spoke. "What's the sitch, Wade?"

"I got a hit on the website, Kim," the hefty young man on the screen responded. "Apparently there was an earthquake not too long ago just south of Tijuana. The Mexican government's asking for help with the rescue efforts."

"Did you contact Ron?" she asked, flowing into "mission mode."

"I tried, but apparently he left his Ron-Comm at home," the teen tech guru replied. "I guess he's incommunicado for the duration."

Kim's eye twitched and she could feel her head starting to pound. "I guess I'll have to deal," she said. "You download the coordinates to the Sloth?" The dark-skinned boy nodded with a smile. "Okay, I'm on my way." She signed off and reached up to rub her throbbing head.

"So, TJ, huh?" the pale-skinned woman questioned. "Want some help?"

Forcing the pain down, Kim shook her head. "No, thanks. I should be good. After all, 'Anything's possible...'"

"'For a Possible.' I know," Shego broke in. "Well you be careful. Some of those aftershocks can be pretty powerful."

"Come on, Shego," the hero grinned. "You've known me for how many years? What could go wrong?"

-KP-KP-

"You just _had_ to say it, didn't you, Pumpkin?"

"Oh, shut up, Shego."

Kim and Shego were sitting in the food court of the Middleton Mall sharing lunch several days after Kim's mission to Mexico. Resting against the table beside the redhead was a pair of crutches and she had her right leg encased in a plaster cast.

"'I'm Kim Possible,' you said. 'What could go wrong?' you said," the raven haired ex-thief teased. "How about getting caught in a collapsing building after a five-point-two aftershock?"

"Just leave it alone, okay?"

The pale woman quirked an eyebrow. "How could you not think you were jinxing yourself even just _thinking_ that?" she questioned, still grinning. "And didn't I warn you about the aftershocks?"

"What do you want me to say, Shego?" Kim snapped, slamming her fork down on the table hard enough to spill the salad she was eating. She could feel that her head was starting to throb once again. _Why is she doing this? Can't she see this is bugging me? Why won't she just fucking leave it be?_ "Do you want me to say I screwed up? Fine. I fucked up. Shit happens."

Her companion was stunned. In all the years they had known each other, the former sidekick had only seen the look in her rival's eyes twice before; both times she had been through some very intense and personal issues. This time, there was nothing there to "push her buttons." And it worried her.

"Geez, Kimmie," the raven-haired woman said, mirth exchanging for concern on her face. "I was just messing with you. There's no need to jump down my throat."

_Messing with me?_ Kim thought. _Is that what she fucking calls it? Well, _fuck her! "Well I'm sick of you 'messing' with me, Shego," the redhead snarled. "Can't you be serious for three fucking seconds? Or, I don't know, maybe a little god damn sympathy?" Her voice was raising heatedly and it was starting to draw attention from the other mall patrons. "I mean, I _did_ break my fucking leg! And my _oh, so wonderful_ fiancé didn't even fucking show up to see if I was okay! Not even a fucking call! Asshole!"

Standing up and fiercely grabbing her crutches, Kim's eyes bored into Shego's. "You know what?" she growled. "Fuck you, Shego. Just... fuck you."

As the ginger haired hero stalked off on her crutches, the seated woman stared after her in disbelief. _Ron was right, _she thought. _This isn't Kim. Not anymore._

-KP-KP-

_A/N:_

_At this point, there's a lot that seems to just be "Another Brick in the Wall" to Kim. Pink Floyd's song seemed to just fit, but I couldn't figure out which part worked better. I think I'll let you decide._

_I'd also like to give another huge thanks to my beta, Seriadne, for her help in making this suck less. Go check out her stuff here on FFN. Thanks a bunch, Seri-chan!_

___FYI, I went back and touched up Chapters 3 and 5. King in Yellow gave me the ideas for the new content. Blame him. :-)  
_


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